In pursuit of swachhta
GORAKHPUR: Much before the Swachh Bharat Mission was launched, this man, popularly called as ‘jhadoo baba’, has been sweeping his colony to keep the surroundings clean since 2009.
Meet 50-year-old Mahesh Shukla, a trader, who is a ‘swachta doot’ for locals. A resident of Shastri Nagar, his day starts at 3.30 am. Armed with a self-made broom, he sweeps the streets of his colony for two hours till 5:30 am.
His endeavour was appreciated and he moved beyond his colony to sweep other public places and parks following the swachhta call by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014.
What prompted him to take the initiative?
“It all began with a train journey in 2009, when I read a book on Mahatma Gandhi which was offered to me by a co-passenger. The book had special mention on importance of cleanliness. Mahatma’s idea of cleanliness impressed me to such an extent that from the very next day I began cleaning the streets of my society ,” said Shukla. “After a few days of continuous sweeping, I saw that people were a little reluctant to throw garbage and slowly they stopped throwing garbage ,” he said.
“I then decided that I would not ask anyone to stop throwing garbage but make them realise their mistake by cleaning the area in front of them,” said Shukla, whose effort has been hailed by local MLA Radha Mohan Das who had cited his example in his public meetings. He was to be felicitated at the Gorakhpur Mahotsav but it did not happen for some reason. He isn’t discouraged. “For me the real award will be when people start keeping their surroundings clean.”
“Whether it is shivering cold, sultry summer or rain, he is on his work,” said a local resident adding that it is after two hours of cleaning work that he takes his breakfast.